Exclusive: Amazon targets shuttered San Bruno airport parking lot for new parcel delivery station

Multiple sources familiar with the plans of Amazon confirm that the company has been in discussions with San Bruno officials about transforming an airport parking lot, which is currently closed in a part of the city known for its industrial development, into a parcel-delivery station.

The company is yet to submit an application to 1000 San Mateo Ave., but it will do so within the next few weeks. The site is located just north of I-380, on the border of South San Francisco, and San Bruno. It spans 8 acres, and the SkyPark warehouse, which was shuttered, occupies 215,600 square feet.

I reported that Amazon (NASDAQ AMZN) purchased the property in August 2020 for $96 Million, but the company didn't reveal their plans at the time.

Sources claim that a delivery facility is being planned for 1000 San Mateo Ave. This project is similar to what Amazon proposed for a San Francisco site, where a 725,000-square foot facility would be built at 900 Seventh St. The San Francisco project has been put on hold because of an 18-month ban on new parcel delivery services imposed by the Board of Supervisors in March.

Amazon's spokesperson declined to reveal details about the San Bruno project this week but said that they are still working hard on the San Francisco project.

The spokesperson stated that "potential and planned project in San Bruno are not connected to the Bay Area." We'll be able to provide more information about plans for San Bruno in the near future.

The city of San Francisco issued a citation for a violation of city code at 900 Seventh St., which raised questions about Amazon's plans for the location and revealed the tension between the ecommerce giant and the city. San Francisco requires vacant buildings be registered every year and that owners of these properties secure and maintain them. Amazon is accused of not complying with this requirement. Amazon responded in public records to the city's efforts to register San Francisco according to that law in recent weeks.

San Francisco's Moratorium was designed specifically to target Amazon expansion plans at 9000 Seventh St. This sparked backlash among some community and labor interest groups. Shamann Walton, the District 10 Supervisor, said at the time that the "rapid development" of the parcel delivery industry in San Francisco had taken place in the past "without adequate input from the community," leading to an increase in pollution, traffic and jobs that paid below industry standards wages.

The moratorium gives the city some time to think about permanent controls for such facilities. Walton stated last year that Amazon also had to negotiate community benefits in order to proceed with 900 Seventh St.

Amazon may have said it was still committed to San Francisco but in recent months, the company has given up real estate within city limits and acquired new leases.